NGAN YIN Groundnut a World of Crunchiness

“Cap Tangan” groundnut has been selling in the market for over a half century.

The town of Menglembu in Perak has spawned a legendary industry that has become much sought after in the local as well as international marketplace for the past 50 years. Ngan Yin Groundnut has catapulted Malaysian ground to global prominence after half a century.
‘Cap Tangan” has become a household name in the market for some 65 years now. And the birthplace of this legendary brand is the tiny town of Menglembu in the state of Perak.

From his ancestral village in Panyu in China’s Guangdong province, Ngan Yin arrived in the town of Menglembu in his youth in 1950, and subsequently started small scale groundnut manufacturer. This small business later developed into a thriving family business of international repute.

“Cap Tangan” groundnut has been selling in the market for over half a century, and has made progressive inroads into other key foreign markets such as Singapore, Brunei, Australia, thanks to the effort and prudent planning of Ngan’s eldest son Dato’ Gan Tack Kong.

Ngan Yin Groundnut has also made it into the list of snacks served onboard Malaysia’s main airlines flights.

Dato’ Gan Tack Kong is the executive chairman of Ngan Yin Groundnut Factory Sdn Bhd. He said that in the past peanuts used to be the must-have tidbits in many families. It was part of their lifestyle – sipping a cup of tea or wine with family and friends while watching a drama and during gatherings. The Chinese from China who came to work in Ipoh preserved this part of their nostalgic lifestyle, and when they revisited their relatives in China, they too brought back the culture of groundnuts. Which was how Ngan Yin became popular in Southern China and Hong Kong.

He says groundnut packaging has also evolved over the years from the transparency packagings during the olden days to foil packing today while the nut roasting process has been improved over the years combining the traditional and modern mechanized operations to give the product enhanced vitality in the market and broader recognition.

During the Chinese New Year festive seasons in the past few years, the company has come up with innovative packaging designs incorporating some of the traditional Chinese elements to instill a nostalgic yet joyous festive feel. This kind of packaging designs will remind the consumers of the memories of bygone years, especially during the heart-warming festive season.

“Squeezing the peanut shell until it splits in half. Remove the peanuts from inside and you can keep on eating peanuts. This is really enjoyable,” said Gan, who also added that roasting unpeeled peanuts produces a pure fragrance of peanuts. And it is very healthy too.

Seventy years on, Ngan Yin groundnuts are still delicious – all thanks to the company’s mature production skills and stringent quality control. As of today, it is undoubtedly the well-known household brand for groundnuts, winning two thumbs up from every of its fans.